The long-term objective of the proposed research is to study developmental events which occur during Bacillus subtilis sporulation. The immediate objective is to investigate sspF, a forespore specific gene which specifies a stable, abundant but poorly translated mRNA. The deduced amino acid sequence of sspF is very highly conserved and the sspF gene product may have essential functions related to spore resistance and longevity. The specific aims are to (a) identify the sspF gene product, (b) isolate and characterize it and (c) determine its function. The research design and methods involve the construction of B. Subtilis strains in which the sspF gene is either deleted or overexpressed in order to determine the effect on spore formation, germination and essential properties. The proposed research should provide additional information on the molecular events leading to spore formation, resistance and longevity. Since these events are common to all sporeformers, this information is applicable to the medically important, pathogenic members of the Bacillus and Clostridium genera.